Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-08-19

every feeling Of resentment that
the past difficulties between them
might have aroused within him, he
proposed to her to take a social |
drink with him. Not suspectlng
any evil intent, she cOnsented.-
Puryear mixed two whlskey tod
dies, gavc one to bis wife and drank |
the other Soon after this he left,
and in a very little while Mrs. Pur.
year was attacked with violent
pains. She at once suspected that |
her and her husband had admins.
tered poison to her aud so express
ed herself to Frank Prichard, an
old cOlOred man, who came to the |
store that morning to buy some
soap. While there he heard Mrs.
Puryear groanlng in an adjoining
room, as if in great pain. He
asked Puryear, who was lying on
the counter, what was the matter
with his wife. Puryear at first
made no answer, but beng pressed
for a reply, said in an abrupt man.
ner: "If you want to know what
is the matter with her. go in there
and see" "Uncle Frank then
went into the room and found Mrs.
Puryear III commissions. After she
revived, he asked her what was the
matter, when she answered in the
most positive manner, 81 have
been murdered by my husband,
who has given me strychnine in a
toddy. Uncle Frank then began
to fan her. About this time Pur
year came into the room, and
Uncle Frank again asked Mrs. Pur-
year in the presence Of her hus-
band, if what she had stated was
true, when she replied "Yes, my
husband has murdered me, and he
knows it," Puryear made no
answer, but walked of into the
store and drank some kind of
beverage. Uncle Frank then call
ed to him that he had better send
Tor a doctor. Mrs. Puryear SAID:
"No, Frank, don't leave, for If you
do, he will kill me-" In short
time the woman expired. The old
colored man Frank then went into
the store to tell Puryear that his
wife was dead. He found Puryear
lying on the counter apparently
asleep, and before he could be
aroused, it became necessary to
push him from the counter to the
floor. His only response to Uncle
Frank when he informed him Of
the death of his wife was: 81 reck-
on YOU had better get shrOud for
her" The physician who had been
summoned saw the patient in time
to pronounce her condition as re-
sulting from poisoning by strychine,
of which terrible drug a small
sediment was found in the glass
from which Mrs. Puryear had drunk
the deadly potion.
AS soon as Mrs. PuyeGr's death
became known her murderer was
arrested by the sheriff of the coun-
ty and placed in Jail.
Meanwhile the feeling of indigna.
, ton among the people Of Din.
widdie, especially in that section OF
, the country where the murder had
|. been committed, was on the in'
crease, and threats Of lynchlng
we're not unfrequently heard. On
e Saturday, June 20, information
? was received here and communicat-
t ed 10 Judge S. S. Weisiger, to the
, effect that an effort would be made
f to take the accused from the an.
thorities and mete out swift punish
ment to him. A posse c0mitdtus OF
about sixty men we're summoned
who that night were stationed IN and
r around the jail with instructions to
. defend Pnryear from mob violence
1 at all hazards. Early that night a
number of men on horseback were
I seen manpuvering a short distance
{ from the Courthouse, giving every
!. evidence that they were planning
B. an attack on the Jail. Sheriff Gil
1 liam thereupon had every avenue
Y leading to the Courthouse strongly
:. guarded. and in the meantime Pur
' year, under q heavy guard, was
1 removed from the Jail and carried
}. to a sPquestered spot in the woods
!. where he was kept all night, anc
4 at daybreak Sunday morning ht
1 was brought back to the county
o Courthouse. While no attack wa'
|. made on the Jail, it is believed thai
e it would certainly have been done
3 but for the fact that the mob ascer
d tanned IN some way that a strong
!, guard surrounded the Courthouse
# On July .. 1885, DR.. William ii
!. Taylor, the State chemist, conclud
!, ed the analysis of Mrs. Puryear'
|, stomach. He had spent two week
r in making the most minute test
o with the result of discovering un
Q mistakabe traces OF strychnlne
e He made his report to the common
n weath's attorney Of Dinwiddle
|, and on the 2lst Of that month Pur
/. year was taken to Dinwlddie Court
/. house and indicted. He elected
@ however, to be tried in the 'circul
/. court, the term OF which did no
n convene until the month of OctC
S Der. The theory of the defenc
r. was that Mrs. Puryear had commit
e ted snicide, bnt the jury came to
V different conclusion. On the 23r
Q day of March q verdict OF guilt
r. was rendered and Puryear wa
D. sentenced to be hanged October 2
Q. His counsel. however, gave motto
1t of an appeal to the Supreme CouT
{, of Appeals, which tribunal, on DC
g 4, at Stanton, granted a writ {
10 error, and on October 20 the sherl
2, of Prince George received the W.T.
<. Of supersedeas suspending the ext
a cution OF the sentence.
The Supreme Court of Appeal
Ii subsequently affirmed the decisio
7. of the lower court. and in Nav las
20 i'm the circuit court of Prime
d George county, Pnryear was SCI
d fenced by Judge Beverly A. HaI
;; cock to be hanged in July last. 4
20 day or two before the date set ft